


gladiolus of gold

by ceadrqueen



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Study, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Na Jaemin-centric, Slice of Life, give me comments pls i need validation, goes deep into emoooooootions, mark lee will always be a member of nct dream in my heart i miss him, ot7 lives on, very feelsy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 06:53:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18231422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceadrqueen/pseuds/ceadrqueen
Summary: [gladiolus]/ˌɡladɪˈəʊləs/a striking, long-stemmed flower filled with blooms from bottom to top, the gladiolus symbolizes generosity, sincerity, a strength of character, faithfulness and honourorhow every member of nct dream was just a little bit in awe of na jaemin





	1. mark lee

**strength**

Mark Lee cannot help but admire Na Jaemin.

 

It’s how Jaemin is so _capable_ , as a member, as a brother. As a best friend. It’s his undying spirit, his relentless energy, his infectious humour, but it’s mostly it’s his constant positivity. 

 

They both have similar birthdays, and ever since their first year as trainees, some of Mark’s fondest memories are clasping hands with Jaemin at the beginning of August every year, making their wishes as they’re surrounded by the people they love the most in the world, their fellow members. He can never forget the quiet strength that always comes with Jaemin’s stable grip, or the beautiful smile that follows after they reopen their eyes to cheering.

Every year, without fail.

Except, now that Mark is graduated from Dream and they’re in completely separate units, he doesn’t know if they can keep renewing these memories. Now he doesn’t know the next time he can grab for Jaemin’s hand no matter what time of the day, the week, the year, and always receive his comfort in return.

 

He admires how calm and level headed the younger always is, the voice of reason within 7 raucous teenage boys of the Dreamies. He admires Jaemin’s natural presence and energy, lighting up the day of everyone around him.

Mark thinks that Jaemin would be a better leader than he is. It’s the keen sting of jealousy that arises whenever the members ignore his calls to be quiet, only to immediately stop making their racket as soon as Jaemin just _looks_  at them. It’s not Jaemin’s fault. But Mark can’t help it.

 

Mark misses Jaemin. Within SM Entertainment, Mark’s outstanding dedication to his training is infamous, but secretly, the only way he could have practised so often was due to Na Jaemin. Every day, without fail, in the dull quiet of the early morning, when Mark would finally return from the dance studios, Jaemin would always be there with freshly cooked rice and fried egg. Jaemin would always be there to give him strength when he was frustrated, or to giggle with him when he was happy, or to laugh with him when he was telling one of his stories from Canada.

He admires Jaemin’s seemingly endless patience, no matter how ridiculous the members are being; he admires Jaemin’s innate self-awareness, joining in the giggles when it’s appropriate but always calming them down when they’re not.

 

Mark also knows that in many ways, Jaemin admires him just as much. Of course, it was the admiration any member has for their leader, willing to take full personal responsibility for any consequences the group as a whole faces, but it goes deeper than that.

Mark knows that Jaemin’s work ethic is stemmed from watching Mark’s tireless hours practicing, that his care is due to Mark always putting the needs of his members before his own. Jaemin has matured faster than the rest of NCT Dream, and Mark knows it is from watching how the idol life had impacted himself and all their seniors in the company. Jaemin has always been the type to learn from observing the experiences of others.

 

Most of all, Mark Lee _idolises_  Jaemin’s boundless strength. In the year that the younger had been gone, the Dreamies had gone utterly to chaos. Mark’s fortnightly check ups to the Dream dorm changed to almost daily. Jeno stuck to Renjun like glue, Chenle was louder than ever to compensate for the silence left behind, and Jisung became sharper and sharper.

Even he himself wasn’t safe from the chaos that spread like a virus. Him and Donghyuck got into an argument that lasted all summer, to the point where even the fans had noticed. Rule number one of being an idol group was that the fans should never know about internal conflicts. Looking back, the two of them had been disgustingly obvious in their tension. The group should seem like a family to everyone looking on, even their own parents. Dissent was the first step to disbanding, was what they told them. Funny how as soon as one member leaves, this rule fell apart.

All throughout this, Jaemin sent encouraging messages to everyone, being their joy and happiness, when really he should have been the one receiving it himself. Mark couldn’t help a stab of guilt hitting him every time Jaemin sent an encouraging message accompanied with a cute kaomoji to their KaKaoTalk chat.

 

Now that Mark has graduated, he has no real reason to go to the Dream dorm anymore. Now that Sicheng-hyung and Ten-hyung has moved into the WayV dorms, Jungwoo-hyung could move into the 127 dorm. Now that Mark and Taeyong have the added commitments of SuperM as well, he simply cannot afford to dedicate the time to the Dreamies. Honestly, Mark barely has the time to _think_ about them, and he misses it so incredibly much.

But they didn’t need his help there, with Jaemin and Jeno calming down Renjun’s fiery energy and Jisung’s sulkiness. Jaemin and Jeno were more than responsible enough for the four of them. They didn’t need him anymore. He’d grown up with these boys, and always had a home in them when the 127 hyungs became too adult and too nagging. He missed his best friends, but they didn’t need him anymore.

 

A strange feeling arises in his chest every time he opens his YouTube to see Jaemin as the thumbnail of an NCT Dream performance without him. To see Jaemin covering his parts in their old songs.

It’s worse when he’s watching it backstage at their SMTOWNs, with his younger brothers covering for /his/ lines almost like he isn’t only a few metres away from them. And yet, as much as he misses them, he can’t help but think that NCT Dream are much more complete as a six. That Jaemin fits his lines much better than he had. That despite Mark Lee’s extensive training as a trainee, Jaemin has improved so much more than he ever had.

 

But despite their distance, Mark knows that Jaemin is always there for him. That his younger brothers are always so incredibly supportive and proud of him, always mentioning him in their lives to each other, always spamming their group chat with teasing love. Whether it be tomorrow or forty years into the future, Na Jaemin would always be Mark Lee’s strength.

 

 

_the day went on, and on and on._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [nct dream - beautiful time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrSbk1-vL6A)
> 
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> [twt](http://twitter.com/xiaojunvies) | [cc](http://curiouscat.me/njm_dream/)


	2. huang renjun

  **reassurance**

By now, it was quite well-known that Renjun was the most introverted member of NCT Dream. Maybe even NCT as a whole.  
Sure, Jisung was incredibly awkward around everyone including his own members, Jeno only really spoke up around people he was comfortable with, and Jungwoo-hyung had a mild fear of cameras, but nobody preferred their alone time as much as Renjun did.

What could he say? He’d always been a shy kid growing up, preferring things like art and writing to going out and playing with others. Sometimes Jeno would joke that his preference for staying indoors explained his narrow shoulders.  
(Renjun was always quick to remind them who was the faster runner between the two of them - it wasn’t Jeno.)

Renjun very much preferred peace and quiet - it’s why he had volunteered for the single room in the Dream dorm. He could never sleep with the sounds of people near him.

Perhaps the only person who didn’t make him want to crawl back into his room and rest for hours were his fellow members. Especially Jaemin.

Na Jaemin.

Renjun’s confidant, the one person who was similar enough to him where it was comforting, but different enough that it wasn’t suffocating. Renjun didn’t think he would remain sane if he had to be locked in a room with a duplicate of himself. Na Jaemin, the one friend he didn’t mind watching him draw and listen to him hum silly Chinese nursery rhymes under his breath.

Yes, Jaemin was entirely-too-touchy for Renjun, but the care that Jaemin gave everybody around him always overshadowed that. When Renjun was talking, Jaemin always put his full attention on him, to the point where even the fans had noticed and had begun to coin them ‘RenMin.’ Jaemin thought it was cute. Renjun thought it was ridiculous.

In all honestly, Renjun didn’t think he was a good idol. Lesson one of idol training 101 is how to handle criticism. Renjun is the most self-critical person he knows. If he can’t handle his own criticism, how is he supposed to handle the entire world’s?

Renjun thought that he was rash and aggressive. His members were used to his well-meaning chokeholds, but afterwards he would always feel guilty. He tried not to use any pressure, but sometimes he thought he would see a wince of pain in Chenle and Jisung’s faces.

What if he had actually hurt them?

Jaemin could always see the seed of doubt forming in Renjun's eyes, and was always quick to assure him that it was all a façade. Maknaes would be maknaes, he would say. Renjun could only hope that he was right. Whenever Renjun would feel that twinge of guilt resurface, all it took was one reassuring look from Jaemin to quell the self deprecation that followed.

Jaemin always read Renjun better than Renjun read himself. It had always been one of his defining characteristics: his empathy and love for others.

He'd always admired it. In many ways, he wished he could be the same. Where Renjun had sharp corners and thin patience, Jaemin round and opening, always happy to give a hug or a kiss or words of comfort. Renjun couldn’t remember the last time he was physically affectionate to his members.

And yet, whenever he saw that same guilt appear in Jaemin's eyes, he couldn't form the words to say. Both of them were prone to internalising their thoughts, but Jaemin hid it better than him. Especially now that Mark, the one person Jaemin could really confide in was gone, he simply shrunk deeper and deeper into his own hole.

Renjun didn't know what to do. He wasn't good at this. He wasn't as good at reassurance like Jaemin was. He couldn't read people like Jaemin could.

But he simply wasn't Jaemin.

Renjun could only hope that one day he could reassure the younger like he had to him.

Renjun could only hope that one day he could be the friend that Jaemin was to him.

 

 

 

 

_taught me 파도 위에 float_  
_you taught me how to float on top of the waves_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [nct dream - beautiful time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrSbk1-vL6A)
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> i struggled a bit with this chapter, particularly renjun's characterisation - please lmk how you feel!


	3. lee jeno

**change**

Jaemin was Jeno’s best friend.  
There were was no doubt about that.

From the very beginning, the two had been inseparable, from the precious young age of twelve at their auditions, both being accepted into the best entertainment company in South Korea together.  
They lived in the same dorm, trained at the same times, were even seat mates at their same high school. Since becoming trainees, Jaemin and Jeno had been absolutely inseparable. The duo talked for hours and hours on end; even though they were both rooming with different people, you could often find them in the Dream dorm giggling with each other into the early hours of morning. 

Something distinctly changed when Jaemin went on hiatus. His back had been bothering him for a long while now, ever since they were trainees. It only took one fall from the hoverboards to turn from a passing twinge to a demobilising injury. 

To this day, Jeno still didn’t know how it happened. Jaemin was easily the most comfortable of them on a hoverboard, and they were just running through the routine. 

They weren’t allowed into the hospital for the first two days. Jeno thought they were the two longest days of his life. When their manager had told them that only 4 people maximum could go, nobody could tell Jeno to stay back. 

Taeyong hyung had tried to get the dreamies to stay at the dorm, but all it took was one look from Mark for his words to die down. Mark understood. Jeno and Jisung’s hands had turned white from how tightly they were squeezing each other as they had filed into the clinical white room.

Jeno was praying it was only a bruise, but something in him knew that it wasn’t. Why hadn’t he noticed earlier? 

Of course it wasn’t just a bruise. Jaemin had to take a hiatus from NCT. For a whole year. Sure, there were times during that year where the boys met up; the day before Jeno’s birthday, and a few group FaceTimes. But in that long year, things changed. They all grew up. Jisung grew taller than all of them, Jeno finally solidified his height difference on Donghyuck. He didn’t know how tall Jaemin was anymore. He didn’t know what colour hair Jaemin had anymore. He didn’t know what Jaemin’s favourite food was anymore. He’d once known these without even needing to think about it. 

Favourite colour: the soft grey-blue that existed at the top of the sky during sunset.  
Favourite song: usually something by Heize, probably wind.  
Favourite hair style: the brown comma hair that he was always in now. 

But now, the only thing he could be certain of was Jaemin’s age. Sometimes he even got Jaemin’s birthday confused with Mark’s. 

Of course, he had his other members. And love and treasure them he did, of course. But he didn’t have his best friend - the only person that had been with him from the very beginning. It was impossible to find a character like Jaemin. Jaemin knew exactly how to push all of Jeno’s buttons, but never to the point of breaking. Jaemin always knew what Jeno wanted to eat, often ordering for both of them at restaurants. Jaemin knew Jeno was indecisive, after all. Whatever it was, Jaemin just _knew._ He always had. 

They’d both changed during his break. His best friend had stopped being a teenager like the rest of them still were. He was the third youngest in NCT Dream, but often felt like one of the eldest, watching with a small smile on his face while the other six of them bickered on and on. Jaemin’s voice had lost the nasality that marked him as a youth, deepening lower than Jeno’s. His face was sharper, jaw more prominent. He’d become more handsome, and he’d become more mature. He’d become more of who Jeno wanted to be, rather than the same as Jeno. He wasn’t as loud, wasn’t as whiny. It took a long time before they were the same as they were before his hiatus. Jeno wasn’t sure if it would ever really be the exact same as it was before, but he supposed it didn’t matter. As long as they were together. 

__

_남아있는 미안함과 아쉬움  
The apologetic, regretful thoughts linger._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [nct dream - dear dream](https://youtube.com/watch?v=OoRmr0WZies)


	4. lee donghyuck

**passivity**

Since debuting in NCT 127, Donghyuck had felt a distance grow between him and the rest of NCT Dream. Of course, he loved the 127 hyungs, they were the brothers he’d never had, but he couldn’t help but miss Dream. He’d _grown up_ with them, after all.

He felt the most distanced from Jaemin. Jaemin’s hiatus felt like years and years, and they’d all grown so much while he was gone. Jaemin had too. Donghyuck couldn’t see the small, naive teenager anymore, he saw the beginnings of one of the best young men he knew. Jaemin was a people person. Donghyuck was a people person too, but not in the same way Jaemin was.

Where Donghyuck was loud giggles and louder hand gestures, Jaemin was a quiet chuckle with a warm pat on the shoulder. Where Donghyuck was teasing his members for hours and hours on end until they quite literally, snapped, Jaemin always knew the exact time to stop. Where Donghyuck was extremely cuddly and affectionate to absolutely everyone, Jaemin was only cuddly to those who didn’t mind. Donghyuck had always thought that he was too much. Whereas Jaemin, it seemed, always know exactly where to stop and why. 

Donghyuck’s hospitalised delusion after his leg injury somehow lead him to the conclusion that his hiatus would mean he would see the Dreamies more often, rather than less. It made sense. He wouldn’t be pressured with the constant promotions of 127, and would have more free time to catch up with his best friends. 

Of course, this was just that - delusion. 

Upon leaving the hospital, Donghyuck was shipped like a container back to his home, to spend some well-deserved time with his mum and sisters. 

He loved his family, he did. But Jaemin, Jeno, Jisung, Chenle, Renjun, Mark - they were his family too. 

Donghyuck bitterly figured that it was lucky they could contact him at all, unlike the radio silence they’d needed for Jaemin’s hiatus. Still, having to FaceTime people who only lived 20 minutes away from you always felt to Donghyuck as somewhat redundant.

They talked about the superficial, because they were teenage boys who’d never really had a proper childhood, and this was their best attempt. And yet, Donghyuck knew Jaemin would be hovering in the back of the call, not contributing much, because that’s _who he was._ Jaemin was never one for the superficial.

Na Jaemin, the type who would stay quiet for a whole hour, only interjecting to shush someone when they were getting to rowdy. Na Jaemin, who would always have a memorable presence despite this.

Na Jaemin, the type who would tolerate anyone’s light teasing and bullying, only ever offering a chuckle and a cheek squeeze in return. Na Jaemin, the type who never was teased because of this. 

Na Jaemin, the type who would giggle at Renjun’s child acting, and Jeno’s cringey MCing, and Donghyuck’s aegyo. Na Jaemin, who never _ever_ took it far enough to be anything _but_ light teasing.

Na Jaemin, the most tolerant person Donghyuck knew. 

Sometimes he felt that Jaemin was like a rubber band. Just when you expected him to finally snap at his members, he didn’t, just giving a serene smile and stretching out even further. 

Now that his own hiatus was over, he’d barely seen the Dreamies before being packed up to the US for the 127 world tour. He cursed the company for not making it a full NCT concert. Why split them up? It didn’t help anyone except for SM’s profits. NCT was one singular family, not groups of coworkers.

Now, don’t get Donghyuck wrong, he absolutely adored his 127 hyungs. But, they were all adults, who’d had a childhood free of the idol lifestyle, and well, he hadn’t. At times, the adult predictability of the hyungs became suffocating. 

A sour taste formed in Donghyuck’s mouth as he realised what he was thinking. Who was he to think like against his own members? His own family? 

Maybe, he tried to reason to himself. Maybe it’s just because I miss my best friends. Maybe it’s just because I miss Jisung, and Jeno, and Renjun, and Chenle, and Jaemin.

_너와 나 영원히 해달란 소원이...  
My wish of us being together forever..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nct dream - candlelight
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> comments keep me going ^•^


	5. zhong chenle

**jaemin’s joy**

Occasionally, Chenle thought that the fans knew Jaemin better than he did. Better than he, fellow teammate, fellow member, fellow _brother_ did.  
It wasn’t even a ridiculous assumption to make. The fans had known Jaemin longer than he had. Chenle had only known Jaemin for a month or two before debut, where their life was just a circulation of practise-eat-sleep, and then some more practise. It seemed like they’d barely debuted for a month before Jaemin was shipped to the hospital and then shipped straight home. He didn’t think he knew Jaemin very well, if at all.

During his year-long break, all his members would always bring Jaemin up in conversation, about his legendary kimchi-fried-rice or his reassuring smile or his fixation with always keeping the bathroom pristine or how he would always know when you needed a hug or a hand held or a cheek squish or a kiss on the forehead. 

Chenle hadn’t gotten to know what they were talking about. 

And then Jaemin returned and it was unbelievably awkward between the two of them. Thankfully, Chenle had Jisung, and Jaemin had all the Korean members he’d known since 2013. 

It was during the long break between Go and We Go Up where Chenle started to finally realise how much Jaemin reminded him of home. 

Maybe Jaemin had caught on that Chenle always ate Chinese food every time they went to eat out together, maybe it was Chenle’s insistence to find the missing frame of his family when he was moving out.  
Whenever Chenle visits the dorm now, authentic Chinese food is always out for him waiting, Jaemin serving his plate with a kind crinkle of his eyes and motherly grin.  
A quiet ruffle of the hair, and Chenle finally begins to associate home with his members, especially Jaemin. 

It’s the light corrections during promotions and practises, the kind hands that will lightly shift the weight over from one foot to the other to make the dance more streamlined, the small pronunciation correction on the van back after a schedule, the fond smile whenever Chenle’s laughing along and giggling. 

It takes a while, but he finally begins to see Jaemin like all his brothers did. He finally feels the caring and motherly instinct that Jisung feels daily, the immature giggles and laughs brought on by Jeno, the thoughtfulness and kindness experienced by Renjun. He finally feels the fond teasing felt by Donghyuck, and the supportive yet quiet leadership that used to assist Mark. 

Chenle finds that he can bring out a side of Jaemin that all his other members even can’t. Chenle brings out Jaemin’s brotherly side. A ridiculously-ethereally-unfathomably-beautiful-handsome-and-gorgeous older brother. 

A brother who can merely pat the empty seat next to him and Chenle is instantly there, spilling out his entire heart of worries, a brother who would cackle obnoxiously at his dilemma at first, before offering Chenle the best advice possible. A brother whom he can giggle with and hug, but also a brother he could shove and wrestle with. 

One day, Chenle is laying flat on the floor of their practise room, trying to absorb the cool air radiating from the floor. All around him, the Dreamies are in various states of rest, from Jisung and Jeno quietly chatting in the seating area, Renjun sitting and texting on his phone (probably Donghyuck), and Jaemin going to grab some water.  
A bottle of water rolls to hit Chenle, and as he moves to pick it up, he’s accosted by a certain Na Jaemin moving to tickle his open stomach.  
It’s hot, muggy, and certainly unpleasant, but through the squeals of giggles and laughter, Chenle finds that he couldn’t care less about their sticky skin and frizzy hair. 

The two members in question don’t know it, but the other members look on to two of their youngest, laughing with each other without a care in the world, and it’s infectious. Renjun plods over to Jeno and Jisung, quickly squeezing both their cheeks, before dragging them into the mess at the centre of the room. 

It’s the end of their break, when they’ve all ended up laying on the floor, stickier and more puffy than when they began the break, but it’s only then where Chenle looks around and realises how lucky he is.  
For Renjun-hyung, teaching him the ropes that allowed him to grow where he is today; for Jeno-hyung, always doting and caring for Chenle, even when he really needed to care for himself. For Donghyuck-hyung, always being open to talk, whether it be a chat, a bicker, or a hug and a peck on the cheek. For Jisung, being the best friend that he’d always wanted, but never had gotten the time to make. 

For Jaemin-hyung, the older brother he’d never had. For the infectious smile that always came with the head ruffle, for the cheek pinch that always cane with the food. For the joy that always came with his brother Na Jaemin. 

__

_순식간 달라 everyday  
each moment is different, every day_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nct dream - we go up


	6. park jisung

**pride**

Jisung always knew that NCT Dream were special. They always had been. Since the very beginning, it had always just been him, Jeno, Donghyuck, Mark, and Jaemin. It was the five of them against the big wide world around them, one dance cover at a time.

From 2013 onwards, as Jisung grew from the tiny 143cm tall eleven year old into a teenager, he and his best friends were slowly introduced as SM Rookies, with their older hyungs and noonas.

Renjun had joined the company later than them, and hadn’t experienced the Micky Mouse Club days; now Mark and Donghyuck were always busy with 127 and didn’t live with them anymore, and Chenle had moved out to spend more time with family, it was really just Jeno and Jaemin. Jaemin constantly jokes that he was Jisung’s mother, but in all honesty, it was true. Jisung has known Jaemin for almost as long as he hasn’t.

 

As much as Jisung pushes Jaemin away on camera, he’s grown to treasure it over the years. It was well known that Jaemin would do anything for Jisung, and at some point Jisung had come to the realisation that he’d do just about anything for Jaemin as well. Whenever Jisung thinks about his older hyung, he can’t stop the rush of pride that zooms through him, and he knows Jaemin feels the same way. Pride on levels unexplainable to someone who didn’t share their bond. Jisung is so unbelievably proud to call Jaemin his bandmate, his fellow dancer and rapper. He’s proud to call Jaemin his carer and his stand-in mother. Mostly, he’s so incredibly proud to call Jaemin his brother and his best friend.

 

Their unconditional love for each other is shown in the little things.

Every day, Na Jaemin has a list of actions he must complete with Jisung, without fail.

The list includes, and is not limited to:

  * at least three cheek pinches per day
  * an all-engulfing hug
  * loud cooing and kissy faces directed toward him
  * a ruffle of his hair, no matter how much their stylist-noona berates then for it
  * petting of his neck - both Jaemin and Mark do this, but now that Mark’s always busy, Jaemin’s doubled his amount to compensate
  * and finally, a kiss on the forehead every night after Jaemin kicks him off his bed into his own.



It’s shown in the dumplings Jaemin will wrap for Jisung, no matter what hour of the day.

It’s shown when on camera, Jisung squirms away from any of Jaemin’s endless affections, but as soon as the red flickering light switches to a camera focused on someone else, he grabs the hands ruffling his hair, squeezing with all the emotions he doesn’t know how to put into words.

 

Funnily enough, they don’t talk that often. Of course, there’s constant unintelligible sounds coming from both of them, cooing from Jaemin and whining from Jisung. But only recently has Jisung realised that the two of them don’t actually talk with their words too often.

They don’t really need to. Jisung has always known that Jaemin has always spoken better with his words than his actions, and Jisung doesn’t think he speaks well either way. But even then, the two of them just work.

One furrow of the eyebrows and Jaemin is instantly up and alert, padding over to Jisung in his fuzzy slippers and plopping down next to him on their worn couch. One too-slow blink from erratic blinker Jaemin and Jisung knows to sidle up next to him and squeeze his hand.

 

Of course, Jisung is best friends with Chenle.

When he was younger, he was certain that you could only ever have one best friend. When he’d first begun as a trainee, his best friend was his mother. Jisung had trouble opening up to the other trainees because of this. They couldn’t take the best friend spot away from his mother.

And then, Zhong Chenle came along 3 months before debut and Jisung realised that his heart had opened to not only have 2 best friends of his mother and Chenle, but 8, of all the Dreamies around him.

But even then, Na Jaemin is something else.

 

Every single day, Park Jisung considers himself the luckiest person in the world, knowing that he has twenty older brothers who would lay down their lives for him, the maknae. He would do the same. Most of the Dreamies pinch his cheeks. Mark and Taeyong pat his neck, and Jaehyun ruffles his hair.

But Na Jaemin is special.

With Jaemin, Jisung finds that he doesn’t even need to speak for Jaemin to know. Every time Jisung bounces up to the elder, jittery fingers and gleaming eyes showing his excitement, Jaemin automatically lets out a happy giggle and gives Jisung a tight hug.

 

Their pride for each other has always been greater than their pride for themselves. To the hyung that Jisung loves 99.9999999999999...%, all Jisung can say is thank you.

 

_변치 않을게, 내 손 놓치지 마_

_i won’t change, don’t let go of my hands_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took me a while because i didn’t know how to express jisung and jaemin’s bond in words >< please let me know if it flows or not!
> 
>  
> 
> [nct dream - dream run](https://youtube.com/watch?v=eSFkfqk0Igw)

**Author's Note:**

> please give me feedback on if i’ve nailed their characters, or just to comment on the story! love y’all ❤️
> 
> [twt](http://twitter.com/xiaojunvies) | [cc](http://curiouscat.me/njm_dream/)


End file.
